Israel Accused Of Segregation After 'Arab Only' Buses Launch On West Bank

Israel's Transportation Ministry has set up a number of bus lines
for Palestinian passengers traveling between the West Bank and
central Israel, YNet
News reports.

While the ministry claims that the buses are for all passengers,
it appears that only Palestinian villages have been told of their
existence, sparking serious claims of segregation.

According to Ha'aretz, any Palestinian who holds an entrance
permit to the State of Israel is legally allowed to use public
transportation. However, the newspaper has previously reported on
a number of incidents in which Arab passengers have been forced
off of buses.

YNet
News also spoke to several bus drivers, who claimed that
under the new rules, due to start Monday, Palestinian passengers
will be asked to leave the buses on mixed lines used by Jewish
settlers.

Officially, the ministry claims the buses were only a result of
crowding and tensions between Arab passengers and Jewish
passengers. However, one
source told YNet that security threats were also a
consideration.
According to Ha'aretz, pressure from Jewish settlers was a
factor in the Transportation Ministry's plan.

Ha'aretz also reports that the new lines are in part being
created in a bid to stop so-called "pirate" driving services that
have sprung up to help Arab workers get into central Israel.
These services often charged high prices and will presumably be
put out of business by the new, cheaper lines.

YNet
spoke to one bus driver who seemed well aware of the
controversy the plan would create, but seemed to say it was the
only option. "Obviously, everyone will start screaming
'apartheid' and 'racism' now," the bus driver said. "This really
doesn’t feel right, and maybe (the ministry) should find a
different solution, but the situation right now is impossible."